By July 1807; following his spectacular victories over Austria; Prussia and Russia; Napoleon dominated most of Europe. The only significant gap in his continental system was the Iberian Peninsula. He therefore begun a series of diplomatic and military moves aimed at forcing Spain and Portugal to toe the line; leading to a popular uprising against the French and the outbreak of war in May 1808. Napoleon considered the war in the Peninsula; which he ruefully called 'The Spanish Ulcer'; so insignificant that he rarely bothered to bring to it his military genius; relying on his marshals instead; and simultaneously launching his disastrous Russian campaign of 1812. Yet the war was to end with total defeat for the French. In late 1813 Wellington's army crossed the Pyrenees into the mainland of France. This is the first major military history of the war for half a century. Combining scholarship with a vivid narrative; it reveals a war of unexpected savagery; of carnage at times so great as to be comparable to the First World War. But it was also a guerilla war; fought on beautiful but difficult terrain; where problems of supply loomed large. The British Navy; dominant at sea after Trafalgar; was able to provide crucial support to the hard-pressed; ill-equipped and often outnumbered forces fighting the French. Dr Gates' history can claim to be the first to provide a serious assessment of the opposing generals and their troops; as well as analysing in detail the social and political background. The Peninsular war is particularly rich in varied and remarkable campaigns; and his book will fascinate all those who enjoy reading military history.
#18728 in Books Anchor Books 2002-08-28 2002-08-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.99 x 1.07 x 5.20l; 1.07 #File Name: 0385720386544 pagesAnchor Books
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Well written; thought provoking study of the western way of warBy Trainman95630I have been reading VDH political opinions for years and listen to him on talk radio whenever I can. I think he has an awesome intellect and his views on the current political issues match up with mine. So not surprisingly I thought this book was a well written; well argued and engaging text about the western way of waging war; what has made western armed forces generally more successful when engaging in military actions against other cultures. He highlights 10 decisive battles in which in most cases; although outnumbered; on foreign ground with extended supply lines; western expeditionary forces from Alexander the Great to the British in South Africa to Cortez in Mexico were able to successfully rout the enemy.The standard answer for why the western way of war is so lethal and in the most part triumphant against other cultures is "superior technology". VDH digs deeper than that offering up the western liberal ethos of political freedoms; capitalism; individuality etc as underlying factors in western military campaigns.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A Description of our Culture that Defies the Liberal culture.By John MatlockHanson presented a view of how democracies go to war using ordinary average people that clearly explain a bunch of things like why did a war based culture like the Spartans or the Nazi's in WW II lost. His writing is clear and easy to follow; although he knows more big words than I do and so I read this one with a dictionary (a big one) beside me. Obviously this is a specialty interest of mine; but if it is yours; reading Hanson is an excellent place to start. I's suggest that you start with his Soul of Battle that talks about three successful generals and then go to this one as this is a more wide spread coverage.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Who we areBy Bill PowellI always know I've read a classic when I have to pause and think a great deal at the end of each chapter. Victor delivers in this book. As a student of Military History I have read of all of the battles prior to reading Carnage and Culture; however I was never able to consider the repeating patterns of western military behavior until now. Although I greatly enjoyed Jarrod Diamond's Gun's Germs and Steel; there were many parts that I felt Jarrod was really reaching with his hypothesis on why the west came to dominate the world. I feel Carnage and Culture does a great job explaining the impact of culture and why it can be a far more powerful factor than technology; geography or any other perceived advantage a civilization might possess. Fantastic book.
